Machine knitting

ABSTRACT

SEAMLESS TUBULAR FABRIC IS FORMED ON A DOUBLE NEEDLEBED MACHINE, SUCH AS A RASCHEL. TWO CONNECTOR GUIDE BARS ARE RENDERED SUFFICIENT BY OMITTING FROM EACH BED A NEEDLE AT EACH END OF EACH BAND. POINT D&#39;&#39;ESPRIT AND OTHER LAY-IN PATTERNS ARE PROVIDED ALONG WITH A BASIC HEXAGONAL NET.

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United States Patent O 3,564,876 MACHINE KNI'ITING Seymour C. Titone, Birchrunville, Pa., aslgnor to Tltone Research & Development Corporation, Burlington, NJ., a corporation of New .Ierse Filed Jan. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 700,768 Int. Cl. D04b 21/20 U.S. Cl. 66-177 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Seamless tubular fabric is formed on a double needlebed machine, such as a Raschel. Two connector guide bars are rendered sufiicient by omitting from each bed a needle at each end of each band. Point desprit and other lay-in patterns are provided along with a basic hexagonal net.

Production of seamless tubular fabric on a Raschel or similar double needlebed machine is known. Conventional methods for doing so are either unduly restricted in applicability or so complex in character as to be of limited utility.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a broadly useful and relatively simple method of warpknitting seamless tubular fabric.

Another object is provision of various designs of seamless tnbular warp-knit fabric.

A further object is reduction in apparatus requirements for so knitting such fabric.

Other objects of this invention, together with means and methods for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying diagrams.

FIG. l is a double needlebed machine threading diagram utilizable according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a point pattern diagram for a point desprit design of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a point pattern diagram illustrating the interconnection of the front and rear panels of fabric in seamless manner according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan of fabric formed according to this invention, showing especially the interconnected edge portions;

FIG. 5 is a legend for FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan of fabric formed according to this invention, showing especially a point portion of a point desprit design and the immediately surrounding portion; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan of another design embodiment of the invention.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished, in warp-knitting of seamless tubular net fabric on a double needlebed machine, by removing from each bed a needle at each end of each band -being knitted and utilizing, in interconnecting the fabric panels being knit on the respective needlebeds, each of two yarn guide bars threaded only at the opposite ends of each band and shogged similarly to the yarn guide bars forming the basic net. Of course, no stitch is formed at the needleless positions, and the result is that the pattern being followed in the panels of fabric on the front and back beds is continued at the interconnection between the respective panels along their lateral edges, thereby producing seamrice less tubular fabric. More particularly, where the basic net has a reinforced hexagonal design, the respective con-A nector bars alternately form a plurality of stitches (usually three) on the actual end needle in the respective beds and then when shogged to the needleless position lay in on the opposite bed for a corresponding plurality of stitches. In eect, the connector bars interchange function, upon being shogged to the needleless position, from duplicating the stitching action provided by the basic pattern guide bars to duplicating the laying-in action of the reinforcing guide bars. This action and the result thereof are sho-wn in the diagrams.

FIG. l is a threading diagram for a double needlebed machine according to this invention. It includes the threading for a particularly desirable point desprit design as well as a basic seamless net construction. The diagram is broken away to avoid unnecessary repetition and to emphasize the unique nature thereof at the edge portions of the bands, parts of two bands being indicated. Usually a plurality of individual fabric items are formed alongside but separate I(or readily separable) from one another, the lateral extent of each being termed a band, and this invention is adapted to the formation of as many bands as desired commensurate with the size of machine being used, which may be expressed in number of needle positions (per bed). FIG. 1 shows fifty-six needle positions, plus two needleless positions, one at each end, per band. The first two needleless positions at the right end of the machine (and FIG. 1) are designated 00 and 0, and subsequent positions are numbered from 1 consecutively to the left, with the designations 00 and 0 added to the regular numbering of positions at which needles have been removed, thus: 57-00 and 58-0, the former being the last position in the rst band and the latter being the rst position in the second band.

At-the extreme right of FIG. 1 are the designations of yarn guide bars being used, numbered from 1 to 1 (the reference numerals therefor being underlined or italicized to distinguish them from the low-numbered needle numerals). Each bar carries an end of yarn at those positions opposite which a circle or dot is present in this threading diagram. Immediately to the left of the guide bar reference numerals there is an abbreviation indicating the function of the corresponding bars; and to the left thereof is an indication (headed LINK) of the initial relative lateral positions of the respective guide bars, the subsequent positions of which are set forth hereinafter in tabular form as pattern chain readings. It will be understood that a zero link positions a guide bar at the closest position to the pattern drum end of the machine (here assumed to be the right end) and that each increase by two in the link designation corresponds to a shoggng of each guide in the bar past a single needle position, as is conventional.

Thus, bars and are threaded at each needle position except the last, and as designated by ST (meaning stitch) form the basic net, on the front and back needlebeds, respectively. Bars l and 1 0 are threaded at three consecutive positions of every four (i.e., three in, one out) and are designated LAY to indicate that the yarns guided thereby lay in a reinforcement to the basic net, on the front and back beds, respectively. Bars g and 8, which are designated LO-P (for low-point), are threaded at half the positions at which bars I and IQ are not threaded, and bars and Q, designated HI-P (for high-point), are threaded at. the other halfY of those positions, each of these four bars being threaded one in, seven out, with bars g and working the front bed and bars and Q the back bed. The brackets at the extreme right of the diagram indicate that bars g and are nested; likewise, so are bars and Q.

needlebeds, respectively, and that respective bars 1 and lay in the reinforcement thereof, all in conventional manner. Guide bars g and form the so-called points in the panel of fabric on the front bed, while bars and g form the points in the back panel of fabric.

for and, thus, need not be shown in the view.

It is apparent from FIG. 2 that guide bars 4 and E stitch the basic hexagonal net on the front and back The starting position for the rst threaded guide of the 5 Guide bars and Q function to interconnect the rerespective bars (also the last threaded guide in the band spective panels of fabric along their opposite edges while for bars and g) is indicated in the following table. preserving the stitch and pattern continuity so as to render TABLE I the resulting tubular fabric article truly seamless. That 1o they do so is indicated by the next view. Link rsltlg between FIG. 3 is a stitch diagram for the stitch and connector bars at several needle positions along the opposite edges Gullf l rf o 1 and 2 of a band, both edges being indicated. The rightmost and gana 1, leftmost positions are needleless and are designated 0 0 4 and 5. 15 and 00, respectively. The three intermediate needle posi- 2 1ar1d2 tions are designated 1, 2, and 3 alongside position 0` and 0 0021110155511156' are designated 54, 55, and 56 alongside position 00, it 2 Da d 1 55 and 57 being understood that this view focuses attention on the 2 1 and 2. 0 6 and 7 edges rather than the intermediate portions (between posio 2 and 3 20 tions 3 and 54) in the panels of fabric beingv so formed. 0 @and 1. The foregoing views and tables indicate that the threaded guides of connector guide bars 5 and Q, at the with FIG. i and Table i a person ordinarily skiiied in Opposite ends O f the Pand, effectively neuk the threaded theart of Raschel knitting could thread up a Raschel guides Pf Stlltchmg gulde bars S4. an@ qfeSPeCUl/ely: and machine Normally, also, warping instructions as to the move likewise. Thus, whenever a stitching bar vacates a type(s) of yarn and the Size and number of spools or needle at one end of a bed, the nearby threaded guide of beams to be used would also be included, but any oon a connector bar moves thereto from the adjacent needlevenient yarn, such as 50s stretch nylon, and an ordinary less position and stitches on the vacated needle, while at allocation of package number and sizes, would be suitthe oP13051te end of the band th? other threadffd gufie ab1e Also needed, however, is tvhe pattern to be followed 30 thereof moves to a needlelessl position and continues its by the various guide bars along the respectivo noodle stitching movements there. If there were needles at the beds in between the intermittent but continual swinging needleless Positions, conventionally WO addltional con' of the bars as a group to pass their yarn guides between neCOI bars Would be employed, each Of the four COnneC' the needle positions of the alternately rising and falling OI bars having Only a Single guide threaded, 'IWC bars needlebeds. The chain readings for the pattern of an being threaded at the left end and two bars at the right exemplary point desprit design are set forth in the end. following table. FIG. 4 shows fragmentarily the resulting fabric eX- TABLE II Guide bars Needlebeds:

0/0 0/0 o/o 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/0 0/0 2/0 2/2 0/0 2/2 0/0 0/0 o/o 0/0 0/0 2/2 0/0 o/o 0/0 0/0 o/o 0/0 o/o 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/4 4/4 2/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 0/2 2/2 0/2 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 4/2 2/2 4/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 itsaiitsitsgaatimsanaiimringraziarti@ o/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 0/4 4/4 2/4 i/ic 2/4 2/2 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4= 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 2/0 0/0 2/0 4/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 4/0 0/0 o/o istantaneasitetenganiiisisifssliissiiiasa 4 S 35% iii l 353 Although Table II is only half a dozen courses long cluding the point portions, one of which is shown sepa- (i.e., twelve rows of readings, alternately for the front rately in a subsequent view. In FIG. 7 the edge portions 'and back needlebeds) it will be understood that the patof the respective panels of the fabric are shown, while the tern chains for guide bars g, and Q have four times intervening repetitive body portions thereof are omitted as many links and that the four columns under each bar in the interest of simplicity of illustration. The heavy designation are read vertically in succession. broken Vertical lines indicate the seam location, the FIG. 2 shows in conventional point pattern form the front panel being shown therebetween and the rear panel stitch construction by representing the path of a yarn projected outwardly therefrom at both sides for coinguide associated with each of the respective guide bars pleteness of the showing, it being clearly understood that relative to a single needle position for each. Six courses, the fabric could not be so viewed until off the machine designated 1F, 1B, 2F, etc. to 6B, are indicated for all the and then only by gathering together the omitted portions bars, while courses 16F to 19F and 23F to 24B are also of the respective panels behind the plane of the view. shown for bars 2,' and Q As indicated above, each The yarns from the respective guide bars are coded by `succession of a half dozen courses for the other bars shading as indicated in the next view.

would be merely a repetition of the first six courses there- FIG. 5 indicates the coding of the yarns in FIG. 4.

The solid black yarn is provided by guide bar 1 on the front bed and bar E on the back bed. The cross-hatched yarn is provided by guide bar g on the front bed and bar Z on the back bed. The unshaded yarn is provided by guide bar Q, and the stippled yarn by bar Q, on both beds.

Throughout the exemplified construction guide lbar which has yarn supplied to one guide thereof per needle in the band, forms the basic hexagonal net on the front needlebed, rst forming three stitches on one needle, then three on the next needle to the left, and repeating that cycle. All the While bar l lays in the reinforcing yarn, which provides a second end of yarn alongside the single end at the oblique edges (of the hexagons), which result from interchanging of the first yarn from one needle to the next.

Whereas the basic net and reinforcing yarns, respectively, perform their respective roles throughout, it will be apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the yarns provided by the connector guide bars interchange between those two roles after each three courses. Thus, at what otherwise would be the left seam, at the edge represented by the vertical broken line at the left, the yarn from connector guide bar Q forms three stitches in the front panel like those formed by the yarn from bar 2 and secures yarn laid in from connector guide bar Q (as a result of attempted stitches thereof at the left needleless position in the back bed) like the yarn laid in by bar l throughout the panel. Then the yarn from bar Q forms three stitches in the rear panel, like those formed by bar Z yarn therein, and the bar Q yarn is laid therein (corresponding to attempted stitches thereof at the left needleless position in the front bed) as the yarn is from bar throughout the panel. Meanwhile at the right seam the bar Q yarn stitches first as the bar Q yarn lays, and then lays as the bar Q yarn stitches.

The interchange of roles, on the part of the connector bar yarns, occurs only at the oblique parts of the hexagons, where the two yarn ends run alongside one another. At that location the eye does not recognize, without tracing the yarns through the pattern, which is which. Accordingly, the construction is truly seamless. This is a considerable sales advantage, of course. A corresponding manufacturing advantage lies in the fact that conventional constructions of this type require two additional connector yarn guide bars for seamless construction. Raschel machines with ten guide bars are less costly both to buy and to operate than are those with twelve bars; moreover, at present more ten-bar than twelve-bar machines exist. Of course, the more guide bars a machine has, the more complex patterns of fabric it should be producing.

The points of the exemplified fabric require two guide bars working on each needlebed. This is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, for example. The terms high-point and low-point denote the respective resulting locations and structures in each panel of the fabric. At each point one of the hexagons is filled in by the yarn laid in from the particular bar. The resulting appearance thereof is shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative laid-in pattern useful in conjunction with the same basic hexagonal net. Contrary to the point desprit pattern, in which no difference in yarn denier was suggested, this modification employs an obviously much heavier yarn than used in the basic net. Also, the heavy laid-in yarn extends over more than two adjacent wales, thereby lending itself to production of a figured pattern as is itself conventional.

Notwithstanding the foregoing description and accompanying illustration of a preferred embodiment and some degree of modification thereof, other departures may be made, as by adding, combining, or subdividing parts or steps, while maintaining at least some of the advantages of the present invention, which is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Raschel tubular fabric made up from two knitted panels joined seamlessly along their corresponding lateral edges and characterized thereat by continuation of a balanced basic net configuration formed throughout the panels by stitching yarns and laying-in yarns, each lateral edge junction comprising a pair of yarns knitted differently from the yarns forming the basic net within the panels, the respective yarns in each such pair being knitted identically with the corresponding individual yarns in the other lateral pair, the structure of the fabric along the lateral edges duplicating the net structure present within the panels except for interchange of the respective yarns in each pair between stitching and laying in along successive configurational openings whereas within the panels the stitching yarns stitch throughout and the laying-in yarns lay in throughout the structure.

2. Seamless tubular six-bar Raschel fabric according to claim 1 comprising a balanced net configuration characterized by hexagonal coniigurational openings.

3. Raschel fabric according to claim 2, wherein occasional configurational openings are opacied by yarns laid-in thereacross.

4. Raschel fabric according to claim 1, characterized by chain readings for guide bars for the basic net yarns as designated under columns l, 7 and Q below and by chain readings for guide bars for the interconnecting yarns as designated under columns Q and Q below, with 1 and E threaded three in, one out and with l starting ybetween the first and second needles in the band and with E starting between an initial needleless position and the first needle in the band, with and 1 threaded at all except the first and last positions in the band and both starting between the first and second needles, and with Q and Q threaded only at the first and last positions in the band and with Q starting between needleless positions at the beginning of the band and between the last two needles in the band and with Q starting between the initial needleless position and the first needle in the band and between the last needle and a final needleless position in the hand:

l l l0 Needlebeds:

5. Raschel fabric according to claim 4, having a point desprit design characterized by chain readings for guide bars for the design yarns as designated under columns 2 Q, and Q below, each threaded one in, seven out and with g and being threaded at half the positions at which l and I Q are not threaded, with g starting between the initial needleless position and the first needle in the band and with starting between the sixth and seventh needles in the band, with and Q threaded at the other half of the positions at which l and Q are not threaded and 8 with starting between the fourth and fifth needles and with Q starting between the second and third needles:

Neegebeds: 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/2 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/2 BII 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 F 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 B 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 --00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 2 22 22 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 070 070 050 050 050 050 050 050 4/4 444 454 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4 44 44 44 44 04 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 ig: 254 444 454 444 454 474 454 444 450 050 050 050 oo 050 45o 050 F 4/0 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 4/0 2/2 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 B 0/0 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 0/0 2/2 0/4 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 0/4 2/2 4 44 44 44 04 44 44 22 22 22 22 22 44 22 gli 414 454 454 444 242 444 440 040 040 050 040 040 440 040 References Cited 1,440,803 4/1966 France 66-178 UNITED STATES PATENTS 575,699 4/ 1958 'Italy 66-193 459,866 9/1891 ClPWleY 66-170 2,607 2/1884 GreatBritain 66-195 606,719 7/1898 H111 66-170 25 1,139,342 5/1915 Clewley 66-87 OTHER REFERENCES 1,078,914 11/1913 Gable 66-87 Darlington, Seamless Warp Knit Stockings and 1,855,033 4/ 1932 Spiers 66-87 Tights, The Hosiery Trade Journal, vol. 74, No. 879, 2,499,656 3/1950 Leblanc 66-86 March 1967 (pp. 74 thru 77). 2,990,703 7/ 1961 Bialostok 66-87 30 Lancashire, Warp Knit Stockings, The Knitter, 3,299,674 1/1967 Scheibe 664-195 V61. 31, No. 7, 1111 1967. (pp. 32, 54, 55). 2,667,775 2/ 1954 Aibel 66-195 Publication, e Hosiery Trade Journal, Raschel 3,242,699 3/1966 Momdi 66-193 Seamless Tights, vol. 74, No. 888, December 1967, pp. 3,389,582 6/1968 Alexander 66--192 116-117.

2,607 2/1884 Great Britain 66-195 35 v FOREIGN PATENTS RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner 1,321,541 2/1963 France 66-178 U.S. C1. X.R.

84,038 10/1964 France 66--195 66-195 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 ,564,876 Dated FebTuarX 23 1971 nventor(s) Seymour C Tltone It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column l line 3, "asignor" should read assignor Columns 3 and 4 Table II the horizontal underlining of gui bars "2", 8 and "Q should extend over four columns each o? chain readings two to each side thereof. Column 4 line 37 after "fabric" insert a comma. Columns 7 and 8 in the table, the horizontal underlining of guide bars "2" "3 8 and "g" should extend over 4 columns each of chai-n readings as in Table II f Signed and sealed this 14th day bf September 1971 (SEAL) i l Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER JR. Y f Attesting officer Rom-:m Dol istil/ um Acting Commissioner of 1*:.11 

